The present invention is directed to pharmaceutical compositions containing L-.alpha.-methyl-p-tyrosine and a decarboxylase inhibitor and method of treating hypertension.
L-.alpha.-methyl-p-tyrosine is known to be useful as an antihypertensive agent. The present decarboxylase inhibitor is encompassed in the class of hydrazino phenyl propionic acid compounds disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,536; U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,827 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,415. Combinations of this hydrazino phenylpropionic acid type decarboxylase inhibitor with .alpha.-methyl-m-tyrosine, m-tyrosine and L-tyrosine are disclosed in Canadian Pat. No. 737,907, U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,585 and Shalita et al, Experientia 33, 1430-1431 (1977), respectively.
It has now been discovered that the combination of L-.alpha.-methyl-p-tyrosine and the hydrazino-phenyl propionic acid type decarboxylase inhibitors affords enhanced anti-hypertensive activity.